National football team coach, Leslie Notši, has expressed frustration with the lack of luck following their recent 1-1 draw with Rwanda in the 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Likuena midfielder, Lehlohonolo Fothoane, leveled the score in the 81st minute after coming on in the second half on Tuesday this week. Rwanda had taken the lead in the 58th minute through Jojea Kwizer’s strike.
Reacting to the draw, Notši explained that the team came into the match well-prepared, given the limited number of crucial games left to determine their fate for next year’s World Cup.
“Our players made a positive outlook in the right way to lose against the South African group. We had opportunities to win the match, but luck was not on our side,” Notši stated.
On the other hand, Rwandan coach, Adel Amrouche, expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, despite initially expecting a win.
“We won the first leg against Lesotho, so I believe the players were relaxed in the second leg, hence we drew with them,” Amrouche said.
During the match, Motlomelo Mkwanazi was shown a yellow card for a foul. Several substitutions were made, with Keketso Snyder replacing Hlompho Kalake, Thabo Matšoele replacing Lehlohonolo Matsau, Katleho Makateng replacing Lemohang Lintša, and Fusi Matlabe replacing Rethabile Rasethuntša.
The match was intensely contested from the start, with both teams attacking and defending vigorously. However, they ultimately shared the spoils, drawing 1-1.
In their previous campaign against South Africa, Likuena lost 2-0 in an away match.
Last Friday’s match saw the Notši – coached side frustrate the hosts throughout the first half, which ended goalless. However, the home team’s dominance finally paid off in the second half, with Relebohile Mofokeng breaking the deadlock in the 60th minute. Four minutes later, Bafana Bafana doubled their lead through Jayden Adams.
Despite Lesotho’s efforts to absorb the pressure, they were unable to pose any significant threat to the hosts until the final whistle.
Currently, Likuena sits in fifth place with six points in Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
In the Group C standings, South Africa leads with 13 points, while Rwanda is in second with eight points.
Likuena’s upcoming fixtures include a home match against South Africa on September 1, 2025, followed by an away match against Benin on September 8, 2025. They will then host Nigeria on October 6, 2025, and Zimbabwe on October 13, 2025.
Likuena is in Group C alongside South Africa, Benin, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.
With the World Cup qualification on the line, Likuena now faces a daunting task if they are to secure a spot in the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Although mathematically possible for the lower-ranked teams in Group C to qualify, this would require them to collect enough points in their remaining matches while hoping for poor performances from those at the top.
Likuena’s chances of qualifying for their first-ever World Cup have significantly diminished after this weekend’s loss and draw. Achieving their maiden World Cup berth now appears increasingly unlikely.
Seabata Mahao is a general news reporter with special focus on Business and Sports.
Started working at Newsday in 2021.
has an Associate Degree in Journalism and Media.
